One More Chance
by Ria Unbelievable
Summary: another psychotic story from my psychotic mind. this is actually one of the weirdest ones I've done. it's a Cats fic, with some of my own characters. Please R/R, and no flames please.
1. One Moree Chance: Beyond Her Ideas

One More Chance  
  
  
On a typical day in the Jellicle Junkyard, Araina wandered across the 'yard   
looking for someone to play with, after being told by her family and supposed   
friends to leave, and stay out of trouble. She spotted an older group of queens,   
who were just coming out of their teen years.  
  
"Hey Cetty! Jemi! Viccy! 'Lectra! Wanna play with me?" she called.  
  
Etcetera and Victoria looked down at her in disgust. "Go away, Araina. We're   
very busy right now," Etcetera said meanly.  
  
"Yeah," Electra echoed. "We're really busy."  
  
Araina's ears dropped down. "Oh. Okay. Maybe later." She walked off with her   
head down, and the four queens went back to gossiping about toms.  
  
Araina continued across the junkyard on her search to find someone to play   
with. She noticed Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer playing with their four kittens,   
and went over to see if they would mind if she joined in.  
  
"Hi," she said, more cautiously than the first time. "Can I play with you guys."  
  
The oldest kitten, Munzey, snarled at her. "No! It just us and Mom and Dad   
today! No one else!"  
  
"All right," she said softly. "Then I won't bug you." Her last words gave her an   
idea. Feeling a little better, she bounded off the park.  
  
When she reached the park, she saw several kittens from the 'yard pouncing   
around, trying to attack bugs, which had been her idea exactly. Smiling happily,   
she raced over and joined in the game. Before she'd even had half a chance to   
catch a bug, someone knocked her down. She stared up in surprise. Standing   
above her were Munkustrap and Bombalurina's three kittens, Ratina, Rasheena,   
and Echo.  
  
"Did we say you could join?" Rasheena demanded.  
  
"N-no," Araina stuttered. "I didn't know I had to ask. I-I'm sorry."  
  
The three queens let her up. "Ask next time. And because you didn't ask this   
time, you can't play," Ratina informed her.  
  
"But it's not... I mean... Anyone can come to the park!" Araina cried. "You guys   
don't own it!"  
  
"We do today," Echo snarled. "Now get out of here."  
  
"I'm sorry!" Araina ran out of the park before anyone else could hurt her, or   
insult her. She had no idea where she was running, so she just ran.  
  
After a while of running, she slowed down to catch her breath. She looked   
around the area she was at, and realized she had no idea where she was. She   
paused and looked into the street. Sitting in the gutter were several pieces of   
glass, and bits of metal. She stared at them, fascinated by the way they glistened   
in the sunlight. She cautiously reached into the gutter and picked up a piece of   
glass. She gently set it on the sidewalk and stared at it from different angles, to   
get a different glistening sensation. She reached in and picked up a few more   
pieces of glass and some metal. Then she had an idea. She whirled around and   
searched frantically for a bag of some sort. Amazingly, there was a large   
backpack that someone had abandon by a pole. She dragged it over and began   
loading it with the glass and metal. Moments later she had a full bag. Then she   
dragged it off.  
  
Araina slowly made her way through the unfamiliar streets. She searched for the   
perfect hidden alley, wanting the most hidden, unknown alley in the area. She   
didn't want anyone to be there when she carried out her idea. After searching for   
what seemed to be hours, Araina found the perfect spot. She slipped down the   
alley, and behind a garbage can. She took a deep breath and opened the   
backpack. Then she dumped all the glass and metal into a huge pile in front of   
her.  
  
She stared down at the pieces and then began to carefully select the perfect   
pieces for her idea. Once she'd found the sharpest, largest, most perfect pieces,   
she shoved the rest away, cutting her paw as she did so. She picked up a piece   
of glass and slid it across her foreleg. She removed it, and saw a line of blood   
appear. She tossed the piece away, and selected a metal piece. She moved   
farther up her arm and slid the sharp side of the metal across. Another line of   
blood appeared. She continued picking out pieces of glass and metal, and sliding   
them across her forelegs and hind legs. When she was satisfied with the cuts, she   
chose a piece to cut her side. But she had hardly picked up the piece when a   
voice interrupted her.  
  
"Araina, what are you doing?" a gentle tenor asked softly.  
  
Araina's head snapped around and she saw Macavity. "Uncle Macavity!" she   
gasped. "W-what are you doing here? I-I didn't think anyone knew about this   
alley."  
  
"Araina, this is one of my many homes," Macavity told her. "Now I ask again,   
what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm-I'm cutting myself," Araina mumbled. "I want to kill myself."  
  
"But why? Why do you want to kill yourself? Everlasting Cat knows your loved by   
many. Why bother killing yourself?"  
  
"No one loves me. No one wants me to be around. They keep telling me to   
leave. They won't care if I'm dead. They probably won't even notice."  
  
"That's not true. What about your family? They care, don't they?"  
  
"No," Araina whispered. "They don't care. They didn't want me around either."  
  
"What about your friends? Surely they wanted to play with you."  
  
"Not them either. They told me they were busy."  
  
"What about me?"  
  
Araina looked up at her uncle. "Munkustrap won't let me see you."  
  
"But I still care about you. How do you think I would feel if you killed yourself?   
You're the only one of my nieces and nephews who cares about me. I don't want   
you to die."  
  
"I-I didn't think you cared either... I didn't think anyone cared. No one ever   
wants me around... so... I just... I mean..." Tears started to slip down Araina's   
face. "I just thought I'd kill myself and end the pain."  
  
"Killing yourself this way will cause more pain for you, and if you succeeded, you   
would cause pain for at least one cat in this world. I'd be prepared to kill myself.   
I can't live without you. No one else loves me."  
  
"But... didn't someone... Exotica?"  
  
Macavity snorted. "Exotica was using me. She said she loved me. If she really   
had she would have followed me out the gates when I left. She didn't. She left   
me, and went to someone else."  
  
"I thought she loved you. She seemed to like you so much."  
  
"Cat's aren't always what they seem," Macavity told her. "Now, are you going to   
throw those glass and metal pieces away, or are you going to try to kill yourself?   
If you don't kill yourself, I'll help you. But if you kill yourself, I won't be able to   
help anyone, and you won't have helped anyone either."  
  
"Macavity, I want you to help me," Araina whispered in a choked voice. "Please   
help me."  
  
Macavity took all the glass and metal and put it in the backpack. Then he threw   
the bag into the garbage can. He reached over and picked up Araina. Wordlessly   
he walked out of the alley and to his lair. When he reached it, he took Araina to a   
room where he could clean up her wounds and put something over them to keep   
them clean. With in moments Araina had white strips all over her legs, covering   
the cuts.  
  
"Let's take you back to the junkyard." Macavity offered a paw for Araina to hold.  
  
Araina gazed up at him, and nodded silently.  
  
They left the lair, and went down the streets to the junkyard. When they walked   
in, nobody noticed.  
  
"See?" Araina's eyes held tears. "They haven't even noticed that I was gone.   
They haven't noticed that I'm back either. They don't care."  
  
"They'll notice soon. Call me if you ever need someone." Macavity gently hugged   
her, and started away.  
  
"Macavity!" Araina called after him. "Thanks. I needed one more chance."  
  
Macavity smiled and slid into the shadows, leaving Araina to fend for herself in   
the junkyard.  
  
  
A/N: this was just based off a few stories I've read, and a little off my life. Please   
R/R.  



	2. One More Chance: A New... Friend... or.....

One More Chance, Chapter Two  
  
Araina, after her encounter with Macavity and sharp objects slid through the   
junkyard, past the areas with the most cats to see if anyone noticed her. One cat   
did. It was Etcetera, her arch enemy.   
  
Etcetera glared down at Araina, and stood right where she could block Araina's   
way.. She briefly studied the bandages tied across Araina's legs. "Those look   
stupid," she announced. "What did you do to get that?" Etcetera couldn't help   
but smirk at how stupid Araina looked.  
  
"I cut myself," Araina muttered. She pushed past Etcetera and went to her bunk   
bed on the far side of the Junkyard. She crawled up the blankets that hung off   
the sides, and curled herself into the largest pile she could find on the bed. This   
wasn't easy with her legs as sore as they were.  
  
Unable to sleep with her legs in so much pain, Araina just lay stretched out,   
thinking about anything to keep her mind off the pain. First she thought of her   
uncle, Macavity. She thought of how he'd helped her realize what she had to live   
for, even though it wasn't much. Next she thought of the older queens, who   
hated her with a passion. She couldn't say she liked them much. Jemima could   
be all right at times, but only when she was around Mistoffelees. Araina smiled   
fondly as she thought of her favorite cousin. He was much older, but that didn't   
matter to her. From Mistoffelees, her mind drifted to her brother, Darren. He   
used to protect her a lot, but had grown out of that as he gained interest in   
finding a mate. Her older sisters, Callie and Carisin, had also grown out of   
playing with Araina and had begun watching toms every chance they got.   
Araina's mind drifted farther from the pain in her legs as she thought of one of   
her other uncles: Munkustrap. He could be friendly, but had seemed to develop   
a disliking for Araina for whatever reason. She had to admit that she especially   
disliked his three kits. Ratina and Rasheena, the twins, were slightly evil, and the   
younger one, Echo, was adopted, but didn't care a bit. Her thoughts then turned   
to Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer's kittens. Munzey, the oldest, was mean as   
heck. Mio, the next oldest, was pretty mean too. Summer, third oldest and the   
only girl, was actually quite pleasant when she wasn't around her brothers.   
Alonzo, the youngest, was always very nice, but couldn't defend Araina when his   
brothers teased and bullied her because he was so much younger and smaller.   
But Araina had to admit that she liked him a lot. The final thought that entered   
Araina's mind, before she stopped contemplating her life, was of the Forbiddens.   
The Forbiddens were the largest enemy for the Jellicles. Even more so than   
Macavity's gang. Macavity's gang had suddenly quit attacking the Jellicles. No   
one noticed that this happened to be just after Araina entered the tribe. Going   
back to the Forbiddens, Araina had heard rumors of the Forbidden toms abusing   
queens in every possible way. The fact of it was, though, Araina didn't believe it.   
Neither did Alonzo. Neither thought that any tom could be that evil.  
  
As Araina thought of the Forbiddens, she thought of an idea that had never   
entered her head. Why not join the Forbiddens? They couldn't be that bad. And   
besides, the tribe certainly wouldn't care. It didn't matter to them, did it? She   
didn't think so. Araina decided at that moment that she wanted to investigate   
the Forbiddens.  
  
Araina started to leave her area to go find the Forbiddens and watch them for a   
while. But she didn't have time to do that. Just as she stepped out of her area,   
she saw a tom. He had smooth, silky fur, that was patterned like a Bengal's. It   
was golden-brown with black spots spattered all over.  
  
The tom gazed at her with a star-struck look. The look said he thought she was   
the most beautiful creature ever.  
  
"H-hi," Araina stuttered softly. "I'm Araina. Who are you?" She gazed back at   
him with an equally star-struck look.  
  
The tom blushed and looked down. Then he gazed shyly up at her. "I'm   
Tigralyn," he said softly.  
  
"Where are you from?" she questioned. "I'm a Jellicle."  
  
"I'm a Forbidden. We live over by the railroad tracks."  
  
Araina's eyes lit up. "I've been thinking about the Forbiddens a lot. The toms   
don't really abuse queens as much as everyone says, do they?" Suddenly   
remembering that this rumor might be true, Araina backed away slightly.  
  
"Oh no," Tigralyn assured her. "We wouldn't be that mean. Don't worry, I won't   
hurt you."  
  
Araina stepped forward a bit. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, don't worry. Who would want to hurt a pretty little queen like you?" He   
glanced down at her bandaged legs. "Who did that to you?"   
  
"Huh?" Araina looked down, and blushed. "Oh... those.. um.. I did that to   
myself. Don't ask about it though."  
  
Tigralyn nodded, but kept his eyes on the bandages. "Well, would you like to   
meet the Forbiddens?"  
  
Araina looked regretfully at him. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm not allowed by the   
railroad tracks." She failed to mention that she'd been on the other side of town   
with out permission, as she decided it wasn't important.  
  
"Oh," Tigralyn said rather disappointedly. "Well, we could play here."  
  
Araina nodded eagerly. "Yeah! But we have to stay over here, so the rest of the   
tribe doesn't see you, and punish us both."  
  
Tigralyn agreed to this, and the two began playing. And for the next few weeks   
the played together as often as possible. After sometime of their secret meetings   
going on, things began getting serious. And then Tigralyn asked Araina to be   
with him forever. Araina, forgetting the consequences, said yes. They kept this a   
secret as long as they could, but it didn't last.  
  
Munkustrap stormed into Araina's area moments after Tigralyn had left after   
another of their secret meetings. "Araina, you need to come with me," he said   
tightly.  
  
Araina figured what was coming and went without argument.   
  
Munkustrap lead the kit to a special area that was much like a court room. The   
elders sat on one side, Deuteronomy sat up in the front, and Munkustrap acted   
as a policeman, keeping everyone out, and keeping the accused in.  
  
"Araina," Deuteronomy started, "you have been accused of being with a   
Forbidden, if you know what I mean."  
  
"I do, sir," Araina said quietly.  
  
"You do know the punishment if you are found guilty."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"How do you plead?"  
  
There was a long silence. Then, very quietly, "Guilty."  
  
There was an even longer silence. "You do not wish to have someone defend   
you? Nothing?"  
  
"I know what I have done, and I am not sorry for it. If I may gather my things?"  
  
"You may. Go now. I do not ever wish to see you as long as I live."  
  
Araina turned and left the area, to return to her space to collect a few needed   
things. Once she was finished, Munkustrap lead her to the gate.  
  
As last words to her, he hissed, "Leave, forever."  
  
Araina took one look at him and fled. She ran to the railroad tracks. She ran to   
the Forbiddens. She ran to Tigralyn.  
  
A/N: here's the continuation of the first part. Please R/R.  



End file.
